Who would have thought that the fate of this series would be decided in the 5th game when this series was starting. And considering how India has been outplayed in the first two games, this became even more doubtful. However, we are where we are and now we are in the endgame. The Fifth, the final and the decider.
Both these teams will be coming into this game with a lot of confidence – some more than others. One of the things South Africa will be a little sad about is the fact that they should have sealed the series by now. But yes, if at the start of the tour they were given the option that this game would go to the 5th as a decider, they would have taken it with both hands.
Now this game will be played in Bengaluru which has always been a high-scoring venue. And both teams have some very exciting finishers and this should make this game a very interesting one. Now it remains to be seen if either of these teams make any changes to their playing XI.
India will surely be making some changes in their top order as this is a very crucial game. Maybe Deepak Hooda might be given a game. Even Umran Malik might finally make his debut in the decider. And considering how pacy the tracks at Bengaluru are, this might be a very smart move as well. But considering how well they have come back into this series, the hosts might be tempted not to make any changes.
South Africa was boosted by the return of Quinton de Kock and they will be expecting a brilliant performance from the southpaw who has a good personal record at Bangalore. This will be a good test for South Africa’s bowling depth and especially their death bowling considering how good Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya have been in the series. This should be a cracker of a game.
This has been a good series so far and we expect the trend to continue no matter which team lifts the trophy. We are in for a special run-fest and this should go down to the wire. Who do you think has the upper hand?
India vs South Africa 5th T20I Pitch Report –
The Surface at the Chinnaswamy is a good one for batting and there is pace and bounce at the wicket. And considering how short the boundaries are and how good both the teams have been with their ability to hit boundaries, we are in for a run-fest. Considering how the dew might be a factor, the team winning the toss might be looking to bowl first.
India vs South Africa Playing XI
India
Probable XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan
South Africa
Possible XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Dwaine Pretorius, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi
